Mengxin Yin: Medicinal Chemistry

It was life changing experience for me to study, work and now permanently live in Australia. I always hope to be able to help with other international students to chase and accomplish their dreams in Australia.

As an international student, I enrolled for a PhD degree majoring in medicinal chemistry in the Holmes group at the University of Melbourne in 2007. After completion of my BSc in Life Science at Shandong University in China, I was fortunate to be awarded Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Melbourne International Research Scholarship for my PhD studies. I worked on several cross-disciplinary projects including organic synthesis of chemical probes and investigation of their biological functions in intracellular signalling pathways. This amazing experience granted me the opportunity to learn new knowledge and be exposed to a range of new techniques. I was honored to attend international conferences and collaborate with other highly accomplished scientists worldwide. I value the linkage and lifetime friendships that were built during these years.

Following completion of my PhD I was employed in Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne at a research fellow level as a medicinal chemist, working on organic synthesis and their biological functions. This allowed me to continue and complete the research developed during my PhD and help other postgraduate students. In 2013, I was employed at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and worked on identification and study of key proteins involved in apoptosis pathways in colon cancer cell lines. The research was very interesting and supported clinical trials by pharmaceutical companies related to cancer research.

I am currently full time studying Australian Migration Law & Practice and hope to open my own business to offer consultation and help others who wish to visit, study, work, or live in Australia.

This article originally appeared in Meet our Students on the Faculty of Science website.